Working together with Huawei, Telkom South Africa (Telkom) has used AI-driven network optimisation tools to cut downtime by 25%. The 5G-ready sites in Johannesburg and Cape Town have cut latency by 40%, too.

Aside from its drive to innovate, much of the operator’s success is down to its business practices that help it compete in a tough market. At WinWin Live, Serame Taukobong, CEO at SA Telkom Group, sat down with us to talk through the company’s strategy.

“While competitors excel in individual segments, none match our breadth, depth or agility in unifying services,” he said. “Telkom’s ownership of both a robust mobile network and South Africa’s largest open-access fiber backbone allows us to deliver unmatched synergy. By leveraging our converged network, we ensure reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency, whether for SMEs adopting IoT-driven logistics tools or enterprises migrating to hybrid cloud environments.”

The converged strategy is called ‘One Telkom’, and business divisions unite around the mission to present a single face to customers. “We are a multi-service carrier, and business units are not independent companies,” he said. “Comprehensive business advantages can generate additional value. For example, the combination of cloud services and mobile services can improve the development of mobile broadband users, and fixed-mobile convergence can provide better services based on the comprehensive advantages of fixed and mobile networks.”

Despite a challenging market, Telkom achieved strong growth in mobile services last year. The company’s strategy was differentiated in three ways, he said. “We reengineered our sales engine to prioritize efficiency and customer-centricity. By streamlining regional teams into agile, data-driven units and investing in digital tools for performance tracking, we empowered frontline teams to act faster and smarter.”

The second differentiator was the Network Quality and Reach. “We prioritized strategic investments in our infrastructure, expanding fiber and 4G/5G coverage to underserved areas while enhancing urban network performance,” he said.

The final differentiator was creating customer-centric value propositions. “We disrupted the market with flexible, affordable plans tailored to diverse segments – from data-centric bundles for cost-conscious users to seamless connectivity solutions for SMEs,” he said. Transparent pricing and proactive support drive loyalty, he added.

Using Telkom’s integrated infrastructure (5G, fiber and datacentres), Telkom’s BCX business focuses on sector-specific solutions, such as AI-driven retail customer analytics and e-government platforms that slash service delivery times by 70%.

“BCX delivers seamless, converged solutions – like Unified Workspace for secure hybrid work – that competitors cannot replicate,” said Mr Taukobong. “With the growth in enterprise customers, BCX’s agility and focus on outcomes position us as South Africa’s trusted partner for turning disruption into opportunity.”

To support its digital transformation, Telkom is using the Smart Decision Platform, which integrates multi-domain data – network performance, customer behavior, and operational metrics – into a unified data foundation. “In the past year, the platform identified underserved areas using combined geospatial and demographic data, guiding our prepaid LTE user acquisition in Township area,” said Mr Taukobong.

As a provider of a vital service, Telkom takes its societal responsibilities seriously. “Telkom, as a national enterprise, has a responsibility for national digital transformation,” he said. “With abundant network resources, Telkom needs to contribute more to South Africa, and even Africa, in fields such as datacentre and computing in the future. We need to provide a better life for African people. This is Telkom’s mission.”